Rosell: "The penalty stats this year say a lot"

Sandro Rosell has revealed that Manchester City has launched several failed raids to snap up Barça players and executives. "There have been offensives from City at all levels of the club's structure, but no one wants to leave. They wanted to fish here, but no one is biting", he told Catalan radio channel 'RAC 1'.

The Barça president's refusal to confirm or deny a deal with Neymar only served to add fuel to already rampant speculation, according to which the club has shelled out ¤10 million for first dibs on a deal. "He's under contract at Santos until 2014: after that we'll see. Have we made a payment for him? We go overboard with transparency sometimes, which is necessary but can come back to haunt you and end up costing the club money. Him coming to Barça isn't clear-cut", Rosell said.

Rosell insisted that Villa is not for sale – "He won't leave, but coming back from a tricky injury and breaking back into this team isn't easy" – while expressing his confidence that Sergio Busquets won't be lured away: "I don't think it would be easy to convince him to leave Barça, although there is always speculation – we're used to it by now". He also praised Lionel Messi's commitment and humility: "It's not hard to manage talent, only big egos. We won't see a talent like his ever again, and he has a down-to-earth personality to boot. I don't think he is even the best-paid player in the world".

The Barça supremo confirmed that Abidal will have his contract renewed automatically if and when he returns to action: "He has proven that you can overcome any hurdle. We hope he plays again". Meanwhile, he was less pointed on the subject of the relationship with arch-rivals Real Madrid, claiming that "the situation with Madrid has changed this year, but the penalty stats say a lot" in reference to the storm he kicked up last year with regards to refereeing of 'Los Blancos' matches.

Rosell faced down the expected question about Guardiola, saying that it "will be heart-breaking for all Barça fans when we see Pep coach another team, but we'll have to get used to it", while urging the tactician not to poach any players from his former club: "I hope Pep turns his attentions elsewhere".